So many women I interviewed when writing my book reported saying yes to sex just to get the sex over with and have the person go away. Others reported saying yes to sex to have the person like them. Others reported gaining weight so they wouldn’t have to say no to dating and sex. Many […]

Most of us know or have known someone we care about who has come under the influence of a perpetrator using him/her for self-serving purposes. Very smart, educated, healthy people can, for some unknown, reason come under the spell of opportunistic, toxic, and insecure people. It is very puzzling for an observer of this phenomena […]

Are you frustrated with someone you care about who appears to be the victim of a perpetrator? Do you find yourself getting angry for this person? We all have examples of these situations and we often struggle with what to say, how much time to spend with the victim, and how to continue being their […]

In Part I, we discussed how the codependent is a perfect victim for the narcissist. We discussed our working definition of codependency: a system of distortions that exists on a continuum. Codependents learn personality traits that interfere with knowing one’s self and others. Codependents take care of others, often ignoring or tolerating their abuse, avoiding […]

For this discussion, we are going to stick with our understanding of codependency as a system of distortions that exists on a continuum. Codependents learn personality traits that interfere with knowing one’s self and others. The people-pleasing aspect of codependency might drive the ignoring of who we are trying to please. The focus of wanting […]

In Part I, we identified some areas of concern for the codependent during these contentious times. Now let’s look at some possible tools for the codependent to use. If you haven’t done your codependent work, now is the perfect time to begin. With social media, you can practice taking a stand for what is important […]

Probably the one area we can all agree is the idea that “these are contentious times.” What do contentious times in our country (if not the world), mean to the codependent? First let’s go back to our definition of codependency: Codependency is learned personality traits that negatively affect knowing one’s self and others. Codependents become dependent […]

Remember our question from Part One: How do I know if I am acting codependent or loving? Also, let’s review our definitions of “codependent” and “loving”: Love: An intense feeling of deep affection. For the purpose of this article, we will include some more distinctions of love: Brave Kind Trusting Codependency: Codependency, for the purpose of this […]

How do I know if I am acting codependent or loving? This is an excellent question and often confusing for many for different reasons. Let’s look at the definitions of codependent and loving and see what we find. Love: An intense feeling of deep affection. For the purpose of this article, we will include some distinctions of love: Truth Strong […]

This question fascinates me because I have observed over many years many journeys where people struggle with this task (myself included.) Let’s take a look at some of my speculations and see what your thoughts might be on why this is so challenging. Our History and Teachings For women, it is easy to look back […]

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Who is Anne Brown

Dr. Anne Brown, PhD, RN of Sausalito, California, formerly from Aspen, Colorado, in her private practice, has served as the trusted advocate and advisor to Influential Corporate leaders, Trial Attorneys, Athletes, Leaders, Physicians and their families, many whose connections extend well beyond the town of Aspen. As she conveys in Backbone Power, it is obvious that we can no longer pretend that people-pleasing and addiction doesn’t exist; it is prevalent. Most if not all of us know at least one individual who is suffering from an addiction, victimhood, or martyrdom. It touches all of our lives in some way. Reality is, it won’t go away without taking necessary action and standing up to those who are masters at sabotaging your own growth.

Dedicated Too

Everyone or anyone that has been in the position to say no, and wanted to, but didn't. Being in control of our actions and decisions, helps us live healthier and happier lives. WE DESERVE IT!! Anne believes her book will mentor those who suffer the doom of constantly saying “yes” to everyone else, while saying “no” to their own opportunities.